minecraft-builder-mcp/docs/DECORATION-RECIPES.md

# Shacraft decoration recipes

Generated from [decorations.json](recipes/decorations.json), the authoritative catalog. Read the [playbook](DECORATION-PLAYBOOK.md) for principles, current capabilities and the acceptance workflow.

**14 original design proposals, reviewed 13 September 2026.** Material IDs match the saved 100-material Stage 07 palette. These are design references, not executable Minecraft recipes or completed in-world samples. Recheck live capabilities before applying.

Dimensions below are **width × height × depth** in blocks. They exclude separately specified circulation and buried support. Local +X is right, +Y is up, +Z points into the object; the front faces -Z. Measurements and spacing are project proposals, not engine limits.

## arched-window-bay

**Recessed arched window bay** · facade · **7 × 10 × 3 blocks**

Give a large cream facade readable shadow and a consistent structural rhythm.

Materials: `smooth_sandstone`, `cut_sandstone`, `smooth_sandstone_stairs`, `smooth_sandstone_slab`, `smooth_quartz`, `brown_stained_glass`.

Assembly:

1. Reserve a seven-wide bay between the actual structural axes; keep adjacent columns and floor decks intact.
2. At the glazing plane, use five-wide glass rows for the straight portion, then three and one at the crown. Fill every surrounding cell with full masonry so the plane stays sealed.
3. Place glazing one block behind the front wall plane; use the remaining front depth for a sill and paired jamb brackets.
4. Use sandstone stairs only as outer trim. Maintain full masonry or full glass behind partial-block trim.
5. Repeat the approved bay on the established grid; redesign corners and the main doorway deliberately.

**Clearance:** Keep projections outside the existing public route and its four-block headroom; do not narrow the seven-block station entry.

Variants:

- Plain rectangular head on a secondary facade.
- One gold accent above the principal entrance only.

Acceptance:

- Closure plane has no unfilled cells, including arch shoulders.
- Recess reads from a diagonal player-height camera.
- No sill hides a sign or clips furniture.
- Stair rotation and corner shape checked after neighboring blocks update.

Avoid:

- Different window silhouettes in every bay.
- Assuming a pane or stair is a full containment wall.

Conceptual sources: [The Sky is No Limit](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/sky-no-limit), [Taking Inventory: Glass Pane](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/taking-inventory--glass-pane), [Build With It: Quartz](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/build-with-it--quartz). Recipe geometry and sequence are our own proposal.

## cornice-bracket

**Cornice and paired bracket** · facade · **9 × 3 × 2 blocks**

Explain the floor/eave line without filling the wall with ornament.

Materials: `smooth_sandstone`, `smooth_sandstone_stairs`, `smooth_sandstone_slab`, `smooth_quartz`.

Assembly:

1. Place a continuous stone band on the existing floor or eave line.
2. Use an inverted-stair underside and a thin slab cap, with at most two blocks of total outward depth.
3. Put the two bracket groups over structural supports and leave the central field quiet.
4. Continue the band around corners with an explicitly resolved return; prototype the corner before repeating.

**Clearance:** Remain above route headroom and outside signs' viewing rays; preserve roof drainage shapes and window tops.

Variants:

- Single-block projection on small wings.
- A stronger cap at the tower base, using the same materials.

Acceptance:

- Horizontal band remains readable from the main approach.
- Brackets align with actual supports.
- Cap does not overwhelm the window opening.

Avoid:

- A thick shelf over every horizontal edge.
- Unrelated gold trim on every bracket.

Conceptual sources: [Tranquil Towers](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/tranquil-towers), [The Sky is No Limit](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/sky-no-limit), [Build With It: Quartz](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/build-with-it--quartz). Recipe geometry and sequence are our own proposal.

## closed-dormer

**Closed green-copper dormer** · roof · **7 × 7 × 7 blocks**

Add a secondary roof feature while keeping the clock tower dominant.

Materials: `smooth_sandstone`, `brown_stained_glass`, `waxed_oxidized_cut_copper`, `waxed_oxidized_cut_copper_stairs`, `waxed_oxidized_cut_copper_slab`.

Assembly:

1. Fit a seven-wide sample to the actual roof pitch; use cream side cheeks and three-wide recessed glass.
2. Build the green pitched cap with a one-block overhang.
3. Keep a solid back and floor closure behind the apparent window; retain the existing public ceiling.
4. Test one dormer from the main approach before any repetition. Consider 14-18 blocks between centers only where the measured structural grid permits it.

**Clearance:** No opening into an unfinished attic, no overlap with tower faces or main roof ridge.

Variants:

- One larger central feature on a secondary wing.
- Omit the dormer if it competes with the clock silhouette.

Acceptance:

- Tower remains the primary skyline feature.
- Quiet copper roof planes remain visible between details.
- Full closure survives the added roof cutout.

Avoid:

- Treating proposed spacing as a universal rule.
- Adding attic access as part of a cosmetic edit.

Conceptual sources: [Tranquil Towers](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/tranquil-towers), [The Sky is No Limit](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/sky-no-limit). Recipe geometry and sequence are our own proposal.

## waiting-pocket

**Paired waiting benches** · interior · **9 × 4 × 7 blocks**

Create a believable place to wait beside the main hall.

Materials: `spruce_stairs`, `spruce_slab`, `spruce_planks`, `smooth_sandstone`, `green_concrete`, `lantern`, `oak_leaves`, `dirt`.

Assembly:

1. Place two three-seat spruce benches facing a shared open pocket, with cream end supports.
2. Keep a compact table at one side rather than on the main desire line.
3. Use a flush green paving inset to group the furniture; this substitutes for unsupported carpet.
4. Add one planter and one supported lantern near the back, leaving the front visually open.

**Clearance:** Reserve an additional three-block-wide clear passing strip and four blocks of route headroom. Existing wider routes retain their width.

Variants:

- Single bench and planter in a smaller side recess.
- Mirror the group around the room axis while varying the small prop.

Acceptance:

- Lift sign remains visible from the approach.
- Seat fronts and table can be approached without stepping onto furniture.
- Lamp and leaves remain stable after updates.

Avoid:

- Rows of isolated decorative chairs.
- Plants in front of navigation signs.

Conceptual sources: [Interior Motives](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/interior-motives), [Fantastic Furniture](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/fantastic-furniture), [Cozy Chambers](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/cozy-chambers). Recipe geometry and sequence are our own proposal.

## information-counter

**Information counter** · interior · **9 × 5 × 4 blocks**

Provide a clear information point that belongs in a station.

Materials: `spruce_planks`, `spruce_slab`, `smooth_sandstone`, `smooth_sandstone_slab`, `green_concrete`, `glowstone`, `brown_stained_glass`.

Assembly:

1. Frame a seven-block counter between cream end piers; use spruce body and a thin cream slab top.
2. Align one green sign backing and one lit recess behind the counter.
3. Keep the back wall solid. Any future staff door remains a finished wall panel until the room exists.
4. Add actual text only through an existing authorized label mechanism; the block catalog does not create text entities.

**Clearance:** Reserve three clear queue blocks in front, separated from the entrance-to-lift route and its full width.

Variants:

- Short five-wide counter for a side room.
- A small gold emblem only above the principal information point.

Acceptance:

- Queue does not cross the main route.
- Counter is recognizable before reading the sign.
- No false usable door into unfinished space.

Avoid:

- Several equally bright competing headers.
- Claiming matchmaking or staff interaction exists merely because the counter is built.

Conceptual sources: [Interior Motives](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/interior-motives), [Build With It: Quartz](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/build-with-it--quartz), [Fantastic Furniture](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/fantastic-furniture). Recipe geometry and sequence are our own proposal.

## smash-exhibit

**SMASH exhibit niche** · interior · **7 × 6 × 5 blocks**

Communicate floating islands and knockback through one readable display.

Materials: `deepslate`, `smooth_sandstone`, `green_concrete`, `gold_block`, `grass_block`, `dirt`, `glowstone`, `brown_stained_glass`.

Assembly:

1. Build a full dark base, full back and light stone frame around a five-wide exhibit.
2. Choose one miniature island or one abstract impact motif as the subject.
3. Put one small gold focal detail near the subject and keep the rest of the frame consistent with adjacent niches.
4. Light the subject from concealed side, base or overhead recesses; preserve full-block base and closure.
5. Use one shared frame for all six future arena places; vary the subject and real destination text only when available.

**Clearance:** Reserve a three-block viewing strip outside the main circulation aisle; preserve the existing selection aisle.

Variants:

- Closed trophy pedestal with a single object.
- Small landscape model for a future named arena.

Acceptance:

- Subject is legible from player eye level without entering the display.
- No dark face hides the model's silhouette.
- Placeholders clearly remain unassigned.

Avoid:

- Six unrelated palettes.
- A visual void that is also an accidental physical hole.

Conceptual sources: [Interior Motives](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/interior-motives), [Fantastic Furniture](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/fantastic-furniture), [Cozy Chambers](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/cozy-chambers). Recipe geometry and sequence are our own proposal.

## avenue-edge

**Formal avenue edge** · path · **9 × 1 × 12 blocks**

Connect station stonework to the garden through a continuous legible route.

Materials: `stone_bricks`, `smooth_stone`, `smooth_sandstone`, `mossy_stone_bricks`.

Assembly:

1. Keep seven center columns as continuous clear paving and one flush border column on each side.
2. Survey elevations along the whole segment before decoration; grade transitions as separate geometry.
3. Place furniture in additional two-to-three-block shoulders or wider pockets, not inside the nine-block strip.
4. Keep the station approach clean. Introduce small connected worn patches at outer edges beside planting.
5. Widen at entrances and follow actual destinations rather than adding arbitrary bends.

**Clearance:** Seven-block clear walking width and four-block headroom; this example must not narrow a wider established route.

Variants:

- Use local gray stone farther from the station.
- Curve the outer border while keeping the tread continuous.

Acceptance:

- Entire route walkable at all grade changes.
- Flush borders do not introduce a lip.
- No lamp or planter creates a pinch point.

Avoid:

- Uniform random scatter of five paving materials.
- Applying an organic-path zigzag rule to a formal station axis.

Conceptual sources: [Tutorial: Tips For Landscaping and Terraforming](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/tutorial--tips-for-landscaping-and-terraforming), [Five simple path designs](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/five-simple-path-designs), [Build With It: Cobblestone!](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/build-with-it--cobblestone-). Recipe geometry and sequence are our own proposal.

## copper-lantern

**Supported copper-arm lantern** · lighting · **3 × 7 × 1 blocks**

Establish one recognizable outdoor fixture family.

Materials: `stone_bricks`, `stripped_spruce_log`, `waxed_oxidized_cut_copper`, `iron_chain`, `lantern`.

Assembly:

1. With the sample's first above-ground cell at y=0, place a full stone foot at (0,0,0), rooted into surveyed ground below.
2. Raise a post at x=0,z=0 through y=1..5; place a full-block copper arm across x=0..2 at y=6.
3. Place a vertical iron chain at (2,5,0) attached beneath the full arm, then a hanging lantern at (2,4,0).
4. Place support before attached details and inspect resulting block states.
5. Keep the entire post outside the clear path; use a mirrored pair only at a major entry.

**Clearance:** Four empty cells below the hanging lantern if ground is level with the sample. Recalculate for actual terrain; do not assume the same clearance over a rising stair.

Variants:

- Shorter ground-mounted fixture in a planted pocket with no walk-under route.
- One gold marker at a major junction, outside this base recipe.

Acceptance:

- Full arm, chain axis and hanging lantern state remain valid after updates.
- Night view shows the next step, intersection and sign between lamps.
- Post cannot be used to bypass an existing containment boundary.

Avoid:

- Unsupported lanterns.
- Treating a fixed lamp spacing as guaranteed illumination coverage.

Conceptual sources: [Tutorial: Cottagecore Decor](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/tutorial--cottagecore-decor), [Taking Inventory: Lantern](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/taking-inventory--lantern), [Caves & Cliffs: Part I out today on Java](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/caves---cliffs--part-i-out-today-java). Recipe geometry and sequence are our own proposal.

## layered-planter

**Layered planting pocket** · planting · **7 × 6 × 5 blocks**

Produce a planted mass with a readable front, middle and background.

Materials: `dirt`, `grass_block`, `spruce_log`, `spruce_leaves`, `oak_leaves`, `white_tulip`, `pink_tulip`, `oxeye_daisy`, `smooth_sandstone`.

Assembly:

1. Shape a low cream rim with solid soil behind it; support the entire pocket down to the existing terrain.
2. Put one small rooted tree toward the rear and two unequal shrub groups below it.
3. Use one dominant foliage species and two restrained flower colors near the front.
4. Leave patches of visible grass between groups; taper density toward the edge.
5. Save a seed and cluster anchors for repeatable variation; change group positions rather than every block independently.

**Clearance:** Keep the highest mass outside entrance and sign sightlines; no leaves overhang the protected walking clearance.

Variants:

- Formal clipped evergreen beside the station.
- Looser shrubs without a tree beside the mountain path.

Acceptance:

- Flowers have valid soil.
- Leaves use persistent=true and a stable read-back distance state.
- Trunk has stable soil under it.
- Foliage tint checked in the actual biome.

Avoid:

- A flower on every grass block.
- Using leaves as the only containment boundary.

Conceptual sources: [Cozy Chambers](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/cozy-chambers), [Tutorial: Tips For Landscaping and Terraforming](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/tutorial--tips-for-landscaping-and-terraforming), [Tutorial: Cottagecore Decor](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/tutorial--cottagecore-decor). Recipe geometry and sequence are our own proposal.

## shore-pocket

**Quiet shore with a stony recess** · landscape · **12 × 4 × 8 blocks**

Connect existing water and terrain with a believable local bank.

Materials: `stone`, `andesite`, `cobblestone`, `mossy_cobblestone`, `dirt`, `grass_block`, `oak_leaves`.

Assembly:

1. Sample a short existing shoreline together with its water level and submerged bed.
2. Shape one quiet bank and one small stony recess; maintain continuous ground beneath the visible soil skin.
3. Put exposed rock at the outcrop and moss only in selected damp recesses.
4. Keep vegetation in sheltered land pockets and leave a clear view of the water.
5. This catalog specifies only land-side decor. Preserve water cells and the connected bed; stop if execution requires fluid placement or an unsupported brush through water.

**Clearance:** Preserve public route width, foundations, water level and any existing waterfront containment.

Variants:

- Grass bank with one isolated outcrop.
- Stone recess beside a retaining wall, without changing its footing.

Acceptance:

- Water network and visible level preserved.
- No new flow reaches a road or foundation after updates.
- A below-water view shows a continuous bed; top-down appearance alone is insufficient.

Avoid:

- Repeating identical coves as tiles.
- Assuming water exists in the MCP material palette.

Conceptual sources: [Tutorial: Tips For Landscaping and Terraforming](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/tutorial--tips-for-landscaping-and-terraforming), [Build With It: Cobblestone!](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/build-with-it--cobblestone-). Recipe geometry and sequence are our own proposal.

## retaining-stair

**Retaining wall and short stair** · path · **9 × 5 × 10 blocks**

Make a grade change feel supported and intentionally connected.

Materials: `stone_bricks`, `stone_brick_stairs`, `stone_brick_slab`, `smooth_sandstone`, `smooth_sandstone_slab`, `mossy_stone_bricks`, `dirt`.

Assembly:

1. Survey lower and upper approaches first; adapt the proposed envelope to the actual rise.
2. Reserve five clear stair columns and two shoulder columns per side.
3. Use three or four one-block rises followed by a three-block-deep landing; fill every tread and retaining wall down to solid ground.
4. Return the side walls into the upper terrace instead of ending them as disconnected pillars.
5. Keep the cream cap continuous; limit moss to local soil-contact or shaded recesses.

**Clearance:** Five clear stair blocks and four-block headroom along the full ascending path, including caps and any overhead fixture.

Variants:

- A shorter flight for a lower terrace.
- An additional landing and separate second flight when the actual rise requires it.

Acceptance:

- Stair facing matches direction of ascent.
- Approach and landing elevations agree with the survey.
- No hollow exposed underside or unsupported cap.
- Shoulders do not create a climb-over route around containment.

Avoid:

- Solving a height mismatch with a decorative slab at the doorway.
- Placing a standard stair module without measuring the destination.

Conceptual sources: [Tutorial: Tips For Landscaping and Terraforming](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/tutorial--tips-for-landscaping-and-terraforming), [Five simple path designs](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/five-simple-path-designs), [Build With It: Cobblestone!](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/build-with-it--cobblestone-). Recipe geometry and sequence are our own proposal.

## luggage-bench

**Bench and luggage group** · props · **7 × 3 × 4 blocks**

Tell a station story with a small, useful-looking prop group.

Materials: `spruce_stairs`, `spruce_planks`, `stripped_spruce_log`, `smooth_sandstone`, `green_concrete`, `gold_block`.

Assembly:

1. Put a three-seat bench against the back of a widened pocket, facing the plaza.
2. Group two wood-toned luggage shapes at one end, leaving seat fronts clear.
3. Reserve a green backing for one real destination or station identity plaque.
4. Use at most one small metallic accent in the group; omit it if it attracts more attention than the navigation.

**Clearance:** Provide a separate three-block passing strip in front and preserve any wider existing route.

Variants:

- Bench alone.
- Bench with one planter instead of luggage.

Acceptance:

- Object reads as a resting place from the walking path.
- Luggage does not intrude into the bench approach.
- No label advertises an unfinished accessible destination.

Avoid:

- Crates in every empty corner.
- Unsupported decorative item entities or invented text APIs.

Conceptual sources: [Interior Motives](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/interior-motives), [Fantastic Furniture](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/fantastic-furniture), [Five simple path designs](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/five-simple-path-designs). Recipe geometry and sequence are our own proposal.

## concealed-light-lens

**Full-block concealed light lens** · lighting · **3 × 2 × 3 blocks**

Illuminate a large room without adding a hanging fixture to every bay.

Materials: `glowstone`, `brown_stained_glass`, `smooth_sandstone`.

Assembly:

1. Reserve a three-by-three floor sample outside patterned paving, tree roots, landings and interactive controls.
2. Keep full paving in the eight perimeter columns; in the center put glowstone below a full brown stained-glass block flush with the walking surface.
3. Keep supporting construction below the sample intact and record expected states before replacement.
4. Prototype one lens; increase coverage only after matching night and interior photographs reveal dark areas.
5. A ceiling variant reverses the emitter and visible lens positions within an intact full-block ceiling.

**Clearance:** Top of the floor lens remains flush. Ceiling version preserves all existing route headroom and sealed upper rooms.

Variants:

- Use ordinary full glass if the brown lens makes the sample too dark.
- Concealed side lighting for an exhibit rather than more floor lights.

Acceptance:

- Full-block collision remains at the floor/ceiling surface.
- Actual captured room and exhibit faces become legible.
- No new bright fixture competes with the entrance or lift.

Avoid:

- Tinted glass: it blocks light and is not interchangeable with stained glass.
- Assuming more fixtures automatically produce a better interior.

Local precedent: Stage 07 used concealed brown-glass lighting and real camera review; this reusable sample has not itself been instantiated.

Conceptual sources: [Cozy Chambers](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/cozy-chambers), [Caves & Cliffs: Part I out today on Java](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/caves---cliffs--part-i-out-today-java). Recipe geometry and sequence are our own proposal.

## masonry-weathering

**Cause-based masonry weathering** · surface · **12 × 6 × 1 blocks**

Add age and material variation while retaining large calm wall fields.

Materials: `stone_bricks`, `cracked_stone_bricks`, `mossy_stone_bricks`, `andesite`, `smooth_sandstone`, `cut_sandstone`.

Assembly:

1. Choose either the gray retaining-wall family or the cream facade family; do not mix both randomly.
2. Save a mask for soil contact, sheltered joints and selected worn edges.
3. For gray masonry, use small connected mossy patches in the mask and a few connected cracked areas away from structural focal edges.
4. For cream masonry, keep the field mostly smooth and use cut sandstone to express masonry bands or quiet local variation; do not add green flecks everywhere.
5. Preserve trim, signs and dominant shapes, then inspect at near, approach and whole-building distances.

**Clearance:** Surface substitution only; preserve structural collision, public closure and existing manual edits.

Variants:

- Clean maintained station entrance with minimal weathering.
- More aged retaining wall near shaded soil contact.

Acceptance:

- Weathering locations have a visible cause.
- Large forms still read from the approach.
- Exact seed and patch anchors recorded for reproducibility.

Avoid:

- Independent random choice at every voxel.
- A universal percentage of damage on every material.
- Replacing load-bearing full cubes with stairs merely for texture.

Conceptual sources: [The Sky is No Limit](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/sky-no-limit), [Build With It: Cobblestone!](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/build-with-it--cobblestone-), [Build with It: Diorite!](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/build-it--diorite-). Recipe geometry and sequence are our own proposal.